Nobility Kills
by Uchiha Xairylle
Summary: ByakuyaxHisana She was nothing when he found her. Nothing at all. "If only the sun would stand up to the rain clouds. What a cowardly, selfish sun." R&R!
1. Murmurs And Offers

**Nobility Kills  
**_By Uchiha Xairylle_

**First Drop : Murmurs And Offers**

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The sound of a baby's cry cut through whatever the girl was thinking — Suigintou Hisana. She looked at the crying baby in her arms as her dark blue eyes studied the features of her sister. The little girl was hungry and Hisana had nothing to feed her. Perhaps the roughness of the cloth patches she had stitched together was irritating her young skin. She began to rock the infant as she curled up into a ball, trying to make herself forget that she was also in a state of hunger. Her sister's cries could not bring herself to think of her own welfare first.

Hisana choked a short sob. This was not the time to cry. Whoever their parents were, she barely knew. They had been alone for as long as she remembered and in this district of Rukongai, the people do not necessarily form families to help each other simply because they believe that they should help themselves individually first than to worry for the welfare of other people. Children rested on the same level as adults and adults treated each other like swine. Power and wealth mattered. If you were powerful, if you were wealthy then you have a better chance on survival. But if you were a young girl with a crying little sister with no money and skill whatsoever, chances are, you're going to starve to death.

Just like now.

"There, there…" She muttered softly, trying to appease her sister with her presence. Hisana looked up at the sky that was threatening to be covered with dark clouds. She was hoping it would not rain. It was hard trying to protect Rukia from the rain. Hisana looked at the short distance between her and the ground before slowly making her way down. Although the wooden crate she had been sitting on shook from slight movements, Hisana actually had no choice and she crawled in before the large drops of rain could fall from the sky.

There was thunder.

And then there was lightning.

Hisana swallowed but no raindrops followed. She rubbed her toes together as she looked up at the two walls that enclosed her and her sister in the small alley. She gazed for a while, catching a glimpse of a white structure in a distance.

Sereitei.

How lovely would it be to be in such a place? Would the rain penetrate its roof? Hisana felt the top of her head touching the crate. What would it feel like to have a roof over your head?

DUGRUUUUM!!

Loud thunder cut through Hisana's thoughts and her sister cried again as she gasped, clutching the baby closer to her.

"There, there, Rukia..." Hisana whispered, "Oneesan is here..."

Hisana looked up at the dark, angry sky threatening to bring forth rain. If the sky were a monster, Hisana wondered what could appease it so that it would calm down. Did it argue with the sun? Did the sun hide from the angry rain clouds to protect itself? What a very selfish sun.

DUGRUUUM!!

Crisp sounds of thunder. And then lighting. Hisana had to look for a better place for temporary shelter. There could be a storm coming and the crate might not hold for so long. Rain would be bad for her sister.

If only the sun would stand up to the rain clouds. What a cowardly, selfish sun.

Hisana sneezed. And then Rukia sneezed. The older sister allowed herself a short giggle before rubbing her nose against her sister's cheek. The baby sneezed again, hushing from the crying she had been doing earlier. Hisana smiled and looked around, spying a small crack a good distance from where she was sitting. It was large enough for her to crawl in. Maybe it could be good temporary shelter for her and Rukia.

Hisana carefully crawled out of the crate she was in. For some reason, Rukia was calm now. At least Hisana could ease her mind for a while. With her sister in one arm, Hisana slowly crawled into the crack that was just the size for her. She could only see faintly due to the dim light but the walls of this building seemed to be so thick but the girl continued to squeeze herself through with much careful effort. Hisana finally made it with only a scratch and she sighed, dusting her self as she sat.

"We did it, Rukia! We're inside!" She muttered to her sister happily. And she looked around. In front of her was something big that was covered by giant cloth. Hisana felt the cloth with her finger and wondered if she could use it as their blanked at least for tonight.

"I told you we have to leave." Said a man's voice and Hisana swallowed the gasp that wanted to come out.

There were other people in this place!

"I had several problems along the way." Said another man.

"What could be a bigger problem than what we have now?"

There was a chuckle.

"I'm sorry about the delays with making the gigai."

"Haven't you made faux bodies for how many times already?"

_B-bodies!?_

Hisana clamped her lips together. Who were these people?

"Well, making a number of these would cause a bit of trouble. I'm sorry."

Hisana swallowed hard and squeezed her eyes tightly. She knew what she should do. She should crawl out using the path where she came from. She should crawl out with her sister and run far away from here before these men do anything bad. They sounded like murderers. Hisana had heard those people who took children and sold them as slaves. Hisana could hear her heart rapping.

She should stay away from these people.

Should she see their faces?

The curiosity would kill the cat but perhaps it would be good knowing so that she'd know the faces she'd stay away from.

Hisana slowly peeked from behind the boxes as slowly as possible. And her eyes nearly fell from her sockets when she saw a man with a black hat...

"Just get it done. We're in no position to be wasting time staying here!"

"I _know_, okay?"

... Talking to a talking black cat!

Hisana felt like her world was swirling and her breathing just got heavier but strangely quieter. There were several bodies on one side of the place. They had strange white masks over their faces. Were they all dead?

Hisana wanted to gasp.

There was a big muscle man to the far left. He was sitting cross-legged with eyes closed and his hands clasped together.

Was he sleeping? Was he thinking deeply? Was he dead? Or was he just constipated? Hisana was not sure if she wanted to know.

There was a man with pale hair. What was that he held? Cane? Walking stick? It was a thin walking stick probably to support his thin frame that seemed to be eaten by the looseness of his clothes. He was looking up atop a pile of boxes and above it was a black cat.

It had spoken earlier, hadn't it? She was hoping it was her imagination.

"I'm going out."

Ah! It spoke again! Hisana seriously wanted to faint. She had seen many outrageous things in Sereite such as men with strangely-colored skin and people with over-sized bodies but nothing like a talking cat!

"Get back to work, Kisuke. And hurry it up." The cat said in a man's voice before it turned and jumped out the small gash high on the wall.

"Hai, hai!" the man replied and stretched, cracking his neck and looked at the concentrating large man, "You've been doing a swell job hiding us. I better do my part."

He stretched again and started walking towards the bodies lined up leaning on the wall. Were those dead bodies? Were those sick people? Were those just dolls? Hisana swallowed hard. She wanted to run and her guts were telling her to but her body responded otherwise. She seemed to have been impaled to where she was and she shuddered in fear somehow. Fear of what? Well, she was usually afraid of anything, anyway but still...

At this point, the man pulled out something from his sleeve.

It was glowing.

It was round.

And Rukia started to cry.

"Who's there?" Kisuke immediately put on a black hat. Hisana hid and started rocking her sister to pacify her. She wanted to cover the baby's mouth but she couldn't do so without choking her to death.

"Who's there?" Kisuke again, "Show yourself. I already know your there."

Hisana could hear footsteps walking towards her. That could be just one person — that person who wore that black hat and held that thin walking stick. And if Hisana looked, she would see how Urahara Kisuke had drawn a thin sword out of that "walking stick". But there was no way Hisana would have looked because her knees had shaken and her sister's cries were now the only thing she could hear. Kisuke had come closer to the sound of the baby's cry. What could a baby be doing in a place like this? It was behind the boxes where the gigai were in. He could not risk so much.

In one quick movement, Urahara stepped behind the boxes. The small beggar girl's senses were jarred in surprise and she released a scream upon seeing a man with a sword at her. The baby's cries grew louder as Hisana crawled back desperately from Urahara. Perhaps it was adrenaline that allowed her to got up a bit clumsily but she did not run out the crack from where she entered. Instead she ran around blindly around the boxes and bumped into something. Hisana fell back sitting, bouncing on her bottom as she held her still crying sister. Hisana was now close to tears as she opened her eyes and looked at the man who was concentrating. He looked larger now that she was this close and the only thing that her body permitted her to do was to scream... again.

"Oh, my..." Urahara scratched his head. In one flash step, he was gone. And in another instant, he was behind the frightened beggar girl.

"Hush, dear." He said and covered her mouth. Hisana struggled against him but she was too weak to do anything. She could feel his fingers tightening against her jaw. Was she going to die here?

**- First Drop Dries -**

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**AN:** It's been ages since I've written something. At this time, I've got three fics hanging and I'm not sure if I should do them or ditch them. Just not enough time and adrenaline anymore. I've gone back to school and it's my last year this year. This story's been in storage for more than a year and it had undergone more than ten revisions, I think. Poor me. –sigh- The spark suddenly, er, sparked earlier and I had myself typing. It's my first ByakuHisa fic. I'm also trying to come up with an IchiRuki fic though there are still a few loopholes in the story. (The whole thing makes me excited though. Haha.) Anyway, as I've said, this is my first ByakuHisa fic so please be gentle!

R&R! Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!

P.S.

I remade my profile. Hope you check it out. Yay!


	2. That Rukia

**AN:** If you read chapter 1 and it ended with the talking cat, you might want to read it again because I added something to it.

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**Nobility Kills  
**_By Uchiha Xairylle_

**Second Drop : That Rukia**

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Funny. Hisana couldn't see anything.

But she could smell something. The smell of rain and that smell that came from the streets whenever it rained. Oh, and she could hear the rain pouring heavily against the ground and the walls and the roof. It was a very strange sound. She was feeling cold but somewhat more comfortable than usual and she curled herself into a ball, pulling up the blanket to her chin as she wet her lips.

"Mmmm..." Hisana moaned softly.

This comfort was very unusual. And Rukia was unusually quiet, too.

Wait, Rukia?

"Rukia!" Hisana sat up as if to grab something from thin air. She had been sleeping on folds of cloth to make a small bed and blanket for her. How could she have been sleeping!? Her sister was nowhere beside her. She looked around frantically until she came to a pause when she saw a man with his back to her. It was a familiar back.

"Oh?" he said as he turned.

The killer man with the thin walking sword stick!!

Hisana opened her mouth widely to scream loudly but Urahara signaled her to keep quiet. He was pointing to Rukia who was quietly sleeping while this "killer man with the thin walking stick" held her in one arm.

Sleeping. The baby was sleeping.

This very violent man who killed those people using that walking sword stick of his was able to make Rukia sleep? Oh my goodness, did he decapitate a limb from her? An eye perhaps? Or did he cut off her tongue? Did he replace her internal organs with sacks stitched together and filled with witch fluid? Oh, no...! Wait, was her sister dead? Or was that a doll? Or was it an illusion? Maybe she was dreaming. Should she pinch her self? But that would hurt.

"It took a while before I could calm her down." Urahara smiled upon noticing that Hisana was spacing out and turning pale, "Is she your sister?"

"Y-y-y-y-y-y-y..." Hisana could not speak properly. She had unconsciously curled herself into a ball, pulling her knees towards her and the blanket around her like a cloak. Urahara tilted his head and looked at the baby before stepping towards Hisana who inched back as he inched closer.

"Don't worry." Urahara said softly, "I'm not going to do anything to you. I just want to give you the baby."

Urahra stepped forward. Hisana inched back again.

It was hard earning this girl's trust and Urahara sighed.

"Okay, let's do it like this... Why don't you come over here and take her from me?"

The beggar girl curled herself tighter. Urahara sighed again. What a distrusting little girl! Why was he pushing through with this negotiation to begin with?

"Okay, okay..." Urahara sighed and started to bend, "I'm going to put the baby down and walk away then you get her when you feel like it. Is that okay?"

Hisana bit her lip but nodded. Her eye moved shiftily from the baby and then to Urahara who laid the infant down carefully on the floor. He was hoping she wouldn't cry and that the older girl wouldn't scream _again_. He seriously had to get back to work. If Yoruichi found out he played Good Samaritan by temporarily adopting these two girls, he'd suffer from death by clawing. It was not a very attractive death, Urahara presumed as he stepped back from the infant slowly as he put his hands slightly in the air to tell her he wasn't going to do anything. When Urahara had backed a good distance, Hisana crawled hurriedly towards the baby and picked her up before crawling back and wrapped herself in the blanket. Urahara Kisuke sighed and scratched his head when he noticed the girl seemingly do something to the baby's hands.

"May I ask what you're doing?"

"A-a-a—!" Hisana gasped, leaving her mouth open but making no sense.

Was this girl mute?

"What... What are you doing?"

"A— ... A-a-a—"

Perhaps she _was_ mute!

And Urahara started to do random poses to ask her what she was doing. Hisana furrowed her eyebrows as she looked at the man who was pointing at her then gesturing something she didn't understand.

Was this man an idiot?

"What are you doing?"

Hisana's chirp of a question made Urahara stop what he was doing that instant.

"So you're not mute, are you?" He asked.

"No!" Hisana shook her head vigorously, "But please don't cut off my tongue and please don't eat us!"

Urahara raised an eyebrow and Tessai, who had been silent all this time and concentrating choked off a small chuckle that escaped. Urahara looked at him and said, "If you have so much time to laugh and listen then at least concentrate on the barrier while I take care of things."

"Don't eat us!" Hisana wailed again, "I'll do anything! I'll do anything!"

"Calm down. I'm not going to eat you."

"Anything! ANYTHING!"

"I said I'm not going to eat you..."

"Any—" she paused, the last sentence finally sinking into her, "You're... You're not?"

"No. I'm not." Urahara sighed and slowly walked towards Hisana who gulped, "Now tell me... What is your name?"

There was a brief pause of skepticism on the side of the little beggar girl. Urahara could see her eyes sparkle clearly at him. Growing up the streets of Rukongai, you can't blame a little girl for being so careful.

"I see." Urahara said, "It's fine if you won't tell me."

"S-S-S-Suigintou Hisana." She said and swallowed hard, "M-my name... My name is... Suigintou Hisana..."

The man smiled quietly and said, "I see. Now, Hisana, I have a favor to ask of you. Is that okay?"

The girl nodded.

"I want you not to talk to anyone about seeing me or this place."

The girl's eyes widened as if to silently ask, "Why?"

"This is a secret place." Urahara said, "If anyone knows you know this place, they will kill you."

"K-k-k-k-k-k-k—!"

She was becoming mute again. She had this incredible sense of inferiority and fright for whatever reason and Urahara would love to conduct a study on it if given a chance. Right now, he had something to attend to. It would've been easier if he just killed these girls. It would be much, much easier for them that way but it wasn't like Urahara to do something like that. In a situation like this, he could not help but wonder about how he was able to show sympathy to someone that could very much jeopardize their whole plan of escaping.

"Yes, kill." Urahara said, "Kill you and eat your sister."

"E-e-e-e-e-e-e-e-e—"

Urahara was slowly feeling bad but at the same time amused at how Hisana was reacting to his threat. She was turning pale again. He should stop before she faints again. He had work to do.

Then the baby started crying.

"Ah...!" Hisana snapped out of her stupidity trance. No matter what kind of an idiot she may seem to be, she had this great sense to protect her sister.

What a loving oneesan...

"Are you hungry again?" Hisana asked.

Hungry?

"Hungry?" Urahara's eyes lit up for some reason.

"Y-yes..." Hisana's mind was now registering a possibility that he might dislike hungry babies and slash Rukia with his bladed walking stick, "M-my baby sister is hungry..."

_That's not right. Normal souls don't get hungry._

"How did you know she gets hungry?"

"W-w-when she's crying... It usually means she's hungry..."

"Did your mother tell you this?"

"W-w-we don't have a mother here..." Hisana replied, a bit teary-eyed, "All I have is Rukia. And all Rukia has is me, her oneesan."

Urahara stooped down and put a hand on the baby's forehead. It took a while but Urahara felt a soft spark of warmth against his skin.

_A baby... With reiatsu?_

With a tinge of surprise and curiosity, Urahara put a hand on Hisana's forehead. And there it was. A soft spark of warmth again!

"I... I'm not sick, sir..." Hisana muttered, looking at the hand that was on her forehead.

How come he didn't sense the reiatsu? He was sure he could sense a reiatsu even if it was this faint. By and by, Urahara could feel something in his sleeve. Something was emitting a strange warm and harmonious kind of feeling. He gasped and reached into his sleeve and gasped again.

The Hougyoku was feeling stranger than usual as if it had a halo around it.

What was happening?

Urahara took it out slowly and the Hougyoku, which was violet in color, was now clear white. And the baby stopped crying.

"It's calmer..." Urahara's eyes widened, looking at the small thing he was holding. For moments, he stared at it and then at the baby thoughtfully. A soul that could synchronize with the Hougyoku? How could that have been possible?

"S-sir?" Hisana's voice was not sinking into Urahara's ears.

The violet hue of the Hougyoku signified its activity or instability and readiness for usage. But now, it's clear white. It was now very dormant and calm.

Come to think of it, the baby started crying when he put out the Hougyoku earlier, right?

It would be a bit cruel but what if...

What if he could...

Well, he might...

"Sir, you can let go of my forehead now." Hisana said. Urahara gasped, realizing his hand was still on the beggar girl's forehead.

"Hisana." Urahara said seriously, "Has your sister ever been sick?"

"W-well, not really. But she's a frail little baby." Hisana replied thoughtfully, "But I think that's just because she doesn't eat well. She usually stops crying after eating."

"Hisana, your sister could become sick or _different_ today or tomorrow." Urahara started seriously, "Now, I want you to listen very carefully, Hisana."

"Why?"

"Just listen to me and do as I say, okay?"

"O-okay..." Hisana nodded.

"If you notice anything wrong or _different_ with your sister — anything at all — I want you to _secretly_ come back here."

"But I thought..." Hisana frowned in confusion, "I thought you said..."

"I'm a doctor." Urahara was partially lying because he was actually a scientist but what the hell. Hisana blinked and tilted her head but Urahara could sense that bit of trust he earned from her by saying that.

"Your sister has not been eating well, right?" Urahara continued calmly, putting his hands on Hisana's shoulders, "I'm a traveling doctor and this is my secret place. Now, if you notice anything wrong with your sister — and I mean anything at all — I want you to take her back here. But make sure no one will find you or follow you. Leave her in the alley outside and throw a rock inside the crack you crawled into. I will come out to take her."

"What if... What if you're not here?" Hisana asked, "What if you've already traveled far and away because you're a traveling doctor, right?"

"I will be here until tonight. Until tomorrow. I promise."

Whatever the reason, this "doctor" seemed to be very concerned over her sister that it made Hisana worry. She heard that doctors were kind and that they were loving and caring of patients. Especially little girls. There were only very few doctors in Rukongai and Hisana was glad a good doctor was able to take a look at her sister.

_Kami-sama, I'm sorry for calling him a horrible, horrible man._

"Well... well... Well, what if Rukia gets sick some other day instead of today or tomorrow?" the girl

"If I am not here, I want you to take the baby to Sereitei."

Sereitei... The white structure with the roof against the rain.

"Serei... Sereitei..." Hisana was starting to frown, "But they don't let beggars into Sereitei."

"Give them this." Urahara reached into his kimono and pulled out a wooden charm where there was imprinted a floral emblem and the number six in Kanji, "Tell them you had this since you were little children and that someone with the surname Kuchiki told you to go meet the Captain of the Fourth Squad."

"Ku... chiki..." Hisana said thoughtfully and looked at the charm in front of her. Slowly she reached out and held it in her little hand.

"Yes, that's right. Kuchiki..." Urahara nodded, "Say the baby has reiatsu. The Kuchiki are a noble family. They will know what to do. The Fourth Squad is a medical unit. Do you understand, Hisana?"

There was a long pause and Hisana was biting her lower lip. Moments of more silence lingered and Urahara was too busy sorting out his thoughts regarding the baby and the Hougyoku to figure most things out. It was when Hisana choked out a sob that he snapped back to attention.

"Will... she... Will my baby sister... Die?"

Urahara's head slowly darted back.

"Hisana-chan, your baby sister will not die." Urahara smiled and put his large hand on Hisana's head to comfort her, "It will be okay."

Hisana gripped the charm in her hand and nodded heavily.

Perhaps he had been too harsh and frank with the child. It was probably more than her young and innocent mind could muster in one go. She was now shaking and sobbing, biting her lip but still trying to continue to rock the child to keep her quiet. Perhaps Urahara Kisuke had been so mean. It was just that he was so worked up with this new discovery, his new theories and his new plan. This child could help them with his plan of concealment; his plan against Aizen...

This child.

This... This Rukia....

**- Second Drop Dries -**

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**AN:** IF YOU THINK YOU"VE GUESSED THE PLOT, THINK AGAIN. Is it so early for this? I'm not sure but I don't think I'd want to play around with Rukia and Hisana for so long. After all, I can't wait till we get to the part where Hisana meets Byakuya. It's rainy and cold where I am and at this time, I should be getting something to eat. Anyway, I hope you like this chapter and the character of Hisana that I put together.

R&R! Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!


	3. Over Ramen

**Nobility Kills  
**_By Uchiha Xairylle_

**Third Drop : Over Ramen**

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It was raining.

Hisana looked up at the angry sky as she stood in the alley where pools of water rippled from the rain. Large angry drops fell from the clouds so dark. If Hisana were the sun, she might do the same thing — hide and wait till the angry rain clouds went away. That was very much like her after all. And the heavy rain that drove the sun to hiding would've pelted her and Rukia mercilessly had it not been for the black hooded cloak that man gave her. She forgot to ask his name but she did manage to say thank you. Rukia was sleeping rather soundly amidst the angry downpour around them. Maybe the baby was enjoying the rare warmth she was experiencing from inside Hisana's cloak where she was held.

Well, time to go.

The man had given her some money to spend and Hisana immediately knew where to spend it on.

"Milk, please..." Hisana said meekly to the store owner of a wooden stall with a flickering light. It was extremely small and there were wooden boxes on one side where perhaps the milk bottles were.

"Eh?" The man looked at her with a raised eyebrow, "I don't give free milk to beggars."  
"I... I have money to pay for it..."

Now Hisana may have been a beggar but she knew how numbers worked in the streets of Rukongai. Things increased, decreased, divided and multiplied depending on certain situations if you were not careful. She showed him three coins and nothing more because she knew that if she showed him any more, he would raise the price of what she was buying. This was how they did business in Rukongai. The man stared at the three copper coins and snarled before turning to get some milk.

Rukia made a small sound as a large drop fell on her cheek and Hisana gasped, wiping it off with her thumb and fixing how the cloak fell over her sister's face.

"Add two more copper coins and I'ma sell you a feeding bottle." The man said without looking at her.  
"E-Excuse me?" Hisana blinked with the tilting of her head.  
"Or does your sister drink milk from a sake bottle instead?" the man said, only barely sparing her a glance before mumblings, "Stupid girl."  
"F-feeding bottle... Oh, oh...! Yes, please." Hisana replied, digging into her sleeve to get two more copper coins.

The man turned towards her. He was holding a feeding bottle filled with warm milk. Hisana smiled brightly, muttering to Rukia that she had something to eat now and the man rolled his eyes away, knowing that souls never get hungry anyway. He wrapped it in a bit of cloth and handed it to Hisana who placed the coins on the counter. She reached for the milk slowly with one hand feeling the warmth against her cold, damp skin. She bowed and said thank you to the man before turning around.

The girl looked up. The sky was still angry and there was no way she could feed Rukia in the middle of the street in this weather. If she was not quick enough to find a place to feed her sister, the milk would be cold before she could drink it and it would be such a waste. The beggar girl let the bottle slightly touch Rukia's cheek and the baby let out another small sound in response to the warmth. It must've felt good against this angry weather and Hisana did the same, closing her eyes to the warmth against the bottle.

But the sun would've been much, much warmer.

Hisana opened her eyes and started walking hurriedly, looking around for any place to feed her sister. It wasn't long before she found an upturned Japanese carriage, which could very much serve as a make-do roof over their heads.

"Ow!" the girl winced upon hitting her head in spite of her effort to crawl in carefully. The inside was fairly dry and she sighed as she sat with her knees in front of her. She took the milk bottle and put the teat towards Rukia's lips. The baby immediately opened her mouth and suckled on the teat, drinking the milk rather quickly. She had been hungry for days. Hisana was just glad nothing was wrong with her sister...

... yet.

The doctor said her sister could be sick. Perhaps she should stay up all night and watch her just in case. It would be horrible if Rukia was sick and Hisana found out too late. After all, that man looked pretty worried. Doctors were indeed very kind. And Hisana's thoughts were cut when Rukia uttered a small baby-ish "Ngah..." There was a bit of milk spilling from the corners of her mouth and Hisana smiled, taking the bottle away for a while and wiping the spilt milk with her fingers. Hisana licked those fingers afterwards and started to feed her sister again.

The girl sneezed.

It was cold. She listened to the drops of rain falling against the carriage above her. The girl wondered about a roof over their heads again — a roof, walls, blankets, pillows, a futon, warm soup.

And her stomach churned. Maybe after Rukia was full, Hisana could eat something and she rubbed her toes together for a bit of warmth. It would be bad if she got sick. No one was going to take care of Rukia and that was very unsightly.

"I heard the Shihouin family is no longer part of the noble houses." Hisana heard a man say and her ears perked somewhat. The kind doctor said something about a noble family but it was not that name... Now what was it, again? Oh, dear. Had she forgotten?

"I wonder how that will affect the Kuchiki family." Said another man speaking as if his mouth was full, "Aren't they allies or something?"

Ah, right! Kuchiki! That was it. Thank you, man-speaking-with-mouth-full.

"Speaking of which, their little boy is too brash to become a nobleman."  
"What little boy?"  
"The 28th heir." Came the reply.

What?

Hisana blinked thrice. The future head of a noble family was a hot-headed little boy? Were they of the same age? Noble houses and families sounded interesting. How could they determine the next heir? How old would he be before he inherited that position? Hisana felt a bit of relief knowing that there was a child who was hopefully her age in that family that the doctor with the thin sword-stick spoke of. After all, children were expected to understand each other, right? He was probably a kind, educated young boy who knew how to respect girls. He was probably very handsome, too, with silk skin and shiny hair and deep dark eyes. He was probably a gentleman in many ways.

Hisana felt like she wanted to meet this person.

"I heard he was too noisy and impulsive. And hot-headed, too. He is without a gentleman's attitude. Very unlike Kuchiki Ginrei-sama."

It was as if a large block of wood fell on Hisana's head.

"I heard he still could not shunpo fast enough."  
"Really?"  
"Yeah. He was incredibly slow for a student of the Goddess of Flash.""But I thought he was a genius?"  
"Of course they're going to say that! He _is_  
Kuchiki, after all. You know how the nobles are!"

Hisana groaned.

Hideous people talking about a kid behind his back.

The 28th heir couldn't be that bad! So let's just say the boy's a wimp but who said wimps were so bad, huh? He might still be a kind and generous person. Perhaps he is only hot-headed to people who gossip too much. Maybe she should start thinking of how to act like a lady if she was to meet this person in behalf of her sister's welfare in the future. Judging by how often she got hungry, she just might get sick. Besides, the doctor would not tell her to go to someone who is evil and selfish and stubborn, would he?

Hisana sighed and realized that Rukia had finished eating now. The rain had toned down to a drizzle now and the drops were tolerable. Hisana rubbed her feet together and heard her stomach churn. Thinking that she should eat something, too, the girl crawled out of the upturned carriage. She took Rukia who had finished her milk and saw that to her left was a small ramen stand. The delicious smell bade her to come and she took small steps towards it until finding her way to one of the seats.

"Both of you should stop talking about the noble family like that or else someone might hear you." Said the man with a white apron and a white cap-thing on his head and holding a ladle in his right hand.

"You, girl!" the man said upon noticing her standing, "What are you looking at?"  
"A... A... I... I..." Hisana stuttered, backing away a few steps.

"I have nothing to feed you, you parasite! Go away until you have money to pay for your food!" He started towards her and motioned to hit her with the ladle he was holding. Hisana continued to step back and away from the man. Adults were always like this. So judgmental and assuming.

"Oh, stop it, father!" A young lady said. She had long brown hair that was neatly tied in a ponytail, "How could you be so mean to such a cute little girl!"

"Yuriko...!"

The girl went out of the stall and approached Hisana. The beggar girl's stomach churned rather loudly that she blushed.

"I knew it!" the man hollered again, "I knew it! These parasites are here to ask for free food! Shoo! Shoo!"

"Father, _stop it_!" Yuriko glared back at her father who immediately hushed and pouted. She turned back to Hisana and asked, "You must be hungry. Would you like some ramen?"

The child nodded.

"Come." Yuriko said and lead Hisana to one of the chairs, "Oneesan will give you some ramen."  
"Yuriko!"  
"Father, I do not want to argue with you any more about this!"

The father frowned and glared at Hisana but said nothing more. The little girl gulped and looked at the two men who were eating two spaces beside her.

"Here you go." The kind oneesan said and gave her a bowl of ramen and chopsticks. Hisana carefully took the chopsticks but had trouble pulling them apart with one hand, as her other hand was holding Rukia.

"Here, let me." Yuriko smiled and took the chopsticks from Hisana's trembling fingers and broke them for her.  
"Arigatou." Hisana muttered and started with the ramen.

"Is that your sister?" Yuriko asked and Hisana nodded with ramen noodles sticking out of her lips. Yuriko giggled and asked, "May I?"

Hisana hesitated for a while but handed her sister to the oneesan who gave her ramen. With two hands to use, Hisana held the bowl and started eating properly. Yuriko looked at the baby in her arms and giggled, "You have a beautiful sister."

"Haurigaotou..." Hisana said again, speaking with her mouth full and she blushed, swallowing the noodles and wiping her lips before saying, "Arigatou."

"My name is Yuriko. What's yours?"  
"H-H-Hisana..." she said lowly, "And my... My sister is Rukia..."  
"How is the ramen?" Yuriko asked.  
"It is the best ramen I've ever tasted!" Hisana smiled brightly.

"Bah, you mean it's the only ramen you've ever tasted, you twit!" the father said and Yuriko glared at him again. Hisana continued to eat before the man started saying anything more.

"Yuuuurrriiiikkkooooooo!!"

From behind Hisana came an older lady with very red lips and very red cheeks and colored eyelids and curly hair and painted nails and more features Hisana could not grasp in one sweep. She was very colorful and her teeth were so white. Her eyelashes seemed so long yet so fake. And her face looks whiter than the rest of her body.

"Ishikawa-san, irrashaimase...!" Yuriko bowed.

"Oh, how many times will I tell you to just call me Nana." The lady said as she sat beside Hisana, "Give me some of your ramen and gyoza, dear... Oh, is that your sister you're holding?"  
"Ah, no...!" Yuriko smiled, "She's my customer's sister."

Yuriko pointed to Hisana who was caught staring at the lady. She gasped and attended to her ramen as she blushed; embarrassed that she had been caught looking at the older lady.

"Here you go, Ishikawa-san!" Yuriko's father handed the bowl of ramen and the gyoza plate in front of the lady.

"Ishikawa-san, do you have any new ladies in your place?" said one of the men who had been talking earlier.

"For the likes of you, I don't think so." Nana Ishikawa said as she broke her chopsticks, "My ladies are only for those of noble blood."

Noble blood again?

"Aww, maybe there's one girl over there we can afford." Said the other man.

"I highly doubt that." Ishikawa said again, not even sparing a glance at any of the two men. She picked up one of the dumplings from the platter and Hisana stared at it longingly, wondering how it tasted like.

"Look for some other place to get a geisha." Ishikawa-san said again, "The ones I offer are too high-class for you."

Geisha?

"Meh, if you're so high-class, why're you eating in a low-class ramen stand!?" said the man again.

"I'm here for Yuriko." Ishikawa replied, dipping the dumplings in sauce. She seemed to have delicate hands. She sat with poise and beamed with eloquent expressions. Hisana was awed.

"One of the noble families' son is to celebrate his eighteenth birthday." She said again, "Yuriko, are you positive you don't want to be a geisha?"

"Oh, no..." Yuriko shook her head, rocking the baby in her arms, "I've already told you I don't want to be one."

"Yuriko, this might be your chance to be a mistress of one of the noblemen!" said Yuriko's father while crossing his arms, "Look at you. You're bright and beautiful and talented! Why let those go to waste! If you become a geisha, you will experience all the luxury in the world and you will be appreciated and you will never, ever go hungry!"

"Your father has a point." Ishikawa nodded after swallowing the gyoza she had been chewing on, "Not every woman can be a geisha, you know. Consider yourself lucky. So what do you say?"

"Oneesan." Hisana asked Yuriko mindlessly but looking at Nana Ishikawa, "What is a geisha?"

There was silence and all eyes were on Hisana. She blinked once. Twice. Thrice. And then blushed.

Did she say something wrong?

"You, see, Hisana..." Yuriko said, "A geisha... A geisha is..."

"A geisha is an entertainer." Ishikawa continued, "A geisha is a beautiful girl who entertains people using the arts such as singing, dancing and poetry. They also serve people to entertain them."

"Ah... So they make people happy!" Hisana concluded rather simply and Ishikawa nodded with a smile, "Then Yuriko-oneesan will make a wonderful geisha! She is beautiful and she made me happy!"

Ishikawa laughed, "See? Even the child agrees with me!"

Yuriko gave off a faint smile.

"Tell me, little girl, do you want to be a geisha?" Ishikawa asked Hisana.

"I-Ishikawa-san...!" Yuriko appealed, stepping forward.

"You are a beautiful child. With proper training, you will grow up to be a very beautiful woman that the noblemen will swoon and pay for..."

Hisana blinked as Ishikawa Nana stroked her hair with her fingers. The lady smelled nice and she had such enticing eyes.

"Can... My sister be a geisha, too?"

"What?" Ishikawa straightened and looked at the baby in Yuriko's arms, "W-well, I guess so... When she grows up. But until then, you have to leave her to your mother first because you can't bring her to the geisha house where you'll live."

House.

A place with a roof. Walls. Sheets. Blanket. Futon.

So inviting.

"A geisha's training is very strict." Yuriko said, handing Hisana the baby.

"Strict?"

"Yes." Said the father, "An idiot like you couldn't probably handle it. You look like a klutz."

"W-w-w-well, I am a little careless..." Hisana said thoughtfully and Ishikawa giggled saying, "We can fix that. I used to be a little careless when I was your age, too!"

Hisana continued to blink thoughtfully.

"Tell you what, why don't you run home and tell your mother about it. Leave your sister to your mother and come back here tomorrow. I'll be here again tomorrow and I'll make you into a wonderful geisha."

"My... My mother..." Hisana began.

"Your mother would be too delighted to have a geisha daughter bring loads of money to her." The ramen owner said again with a grunt as Yuriko began to wash the dishes, "Heck, your family ain't gonna be hungry again if you get lucky!"

Never be hungry again? That was very inviting.

But what about Rukia?

Hisana looked at her sister thoughtfully.

"I..." she stuttered and hopped down the chair she had been sitting on, "I... I'll... Tell my mother...! Excuse me! I have to go!"

The barefoot girl turned and ran away. Yuriko straightened and wiped her hands on her apron before catching up to beggar girl.

"Hisana!"

She stopped and saw the kind oneesan trotting towards her.

"Hisana, you don't have to be a geisha if you don't think you want to, okay?" Yuriko said with a faint smile.

"Is being a geisha bad?" Hisana asked.

"N-no, n-not really, but..."

"Then why won't you become a geisha...?"

There was silence and the older girl could not find the words to answer such an innocent question from a young girl.

"It's because I enjoy being free."

**- Third Drop Dries -**

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**AN:** Ahhhhh... I think I'm late. It's been a while since I wrote a pretty long chapter but I had fun writing this one. The weather is cold where I am right now. It's raining pretty hard. I want some ramen, too. I'm sorry if feeding bottles didn't exist back then but I could find any information as to how babies were fed during the Edo period so I'm sorry! Anyway, I hope you like this chapter! I don't have much to say right now except that I'd like to hear from you how this is all turning out. This is my first time doing a story on a character that's barely introduced in the series but somewhat plays an important role. Thank you for your feedback!!

R&R! Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!


	4. Burning Snow

**Nobility Kills  
**_By Uchiha Xairylle_

**Fourth Drop : Burning Snow**

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The angry downpour was slowly beginning to come to an end except for small droplets from time-to-time but the sun had not completely shone yet. Maybe it was making sure the rain clouds had gone away completely. Hisana looked up thoughtfully. A single drop fell on her cheek and she blinked before wiping it off with her palm. She looked down at Rukia who was suckling at her thumb.

"Is the princess awake noooooow?" Hisana giggled at her sister who smiled and her small arm stretched out to reach for her sister's face. Hisana giggled again and neared her face towards Rukia's hand.

Her giggling stopped.

The baby's hand was so cold.

She pulled away, looking at her sister. The baby looked fine. Her cheeks were even pinkish as she made that baby-ish laugh. There was still something cold on Hisana's cheek where Rukia's hand touched. The older sister slowly wiped it off. And now her hand was cold with something strange on her skin.

Hisana looked.

Her eyes widened upon seeing what she had wiped off. It was white. And it was cold.

Snow!

Hisana gasped and shook the snow off her hand. She looked around in panic if anyone had seen it before running away aimlessly like her mind in alarm. Could she have been wrong? No, she couldn't. The cold feeling was still on her skin and it send shivers down her spine. How could that be? She could hear Rukia's baby giggling as if enjoying the running Hisana had been doing. Hisana seemingly could not feel her soles touching the pavement even as she stepped on the small pools of water that remained after the rain.

Maybe it wasn't Rukia. Maybe it _was_ snowing. That could be, right?

Right?

Hisana looked up while running.

"Hey, look out, you!"

No.

"HEY!"

It wasn't snowing.

"AH!"

BADGSH!!

Hisana crashed into a something. The cart fell over to one side and the tomatoes started rolling on the ground. The girl was mindful enough to cover her sister as she sprung back from the impact. She felt her body hit the street. She was going to have scratches. As her violent recoil came to a halt, Hisana sat up and scampered back untl her back hit the wall, holding her hands above her to shield her and her sister from the owner of the tomato cart's wrath.

"I-I-I-I'm sorry, sir! I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!"

She was expecting a beating but there was none.

"What is this!?"

The people seemed to be bothered by something else to care about her offense. Hisana opened her eyes and she probably wished she didn't because what she saw made her panic so bad that she didn't realize she was crying.

"The tomato cart..." Hisana trembled and covered her mouth.

For some insane reason, the tomato cart was _on fire_!

How did that happen!?

Hisana's knees and legs were still trembling and she did not know if it was the panic, the fear, the confusion or the adrenaline that told her to get up and make a run for it before anyone noticed her. She made an escape through the narrow alley behind her. Hisana's tears were flowing yet she wasn't in any state to wipe it off. She was losing balance here and there but she still did not stop even though she already felt her feet and legs getting scratches and wounds.

She could hear her sister giggling.

"This is no laughing matter, Rukia!" Hisana said as if her sister understood what she was saying, "You're lucky not to even realize everything that's happening up to now! _Especially_ now!"

Hisana's feet were getting tangled for some reason. Her legs won't follow what her brain was telling them to do. Perhaps it was because her brain was too confused to send normal messages to her body.

Hisana fumbled forward but managed not to fall. She kept on running.

Running.

Running.

Until she came to a dead end. It was a high wooden wall that Hisana scaled with her vision as she huffed, tears still streaming from her eyes.

Hisana looked at Rukia and leaned forward until her forehead touched the wooden wall.

_What is going on?_

The beggar girl continued to cry when Rukia's hand touched the wall. Slowly, snow started to form where her little hand was. Hisana gasped but had no strength to violently shove her sister's tiny hand away. Her fingers slowly wrapped around her sister's hand and drew it away from the wall. Hisana's trembling fingers slowly touched the snow on the wood.

But something happened.

As soon as her fingers touched the snow, it started melting. Hisana's eyes widened.

Her hand...

_My hand is on fire!!_

Hisana shrieked, drawing her hand away hurriedly as the fire from it died down. It was a bit too late. The dark spot that formed on the wood was no longer a dark spot. Instinctively, Hisana's heart pounded and she started to panic as she backed. And from panic, her feeling evolved into horror.

First the water turned to snow. Then the cart burned all of a sudden.

And now the wooden wall was on fire!

If this was a nightmare, Hisana wanted to wake up now!

---

"HIYAH! HIYAH! HUOOH!! UOOOH!! YAAAH!! HAAAAAH!!"

"Byakuya-kun, how long do you plan on swinging violently like that?"

The sweaty young boy with shiny black hair tied behind his back looked annoyingly at the raven-haired man lying on his side and scratching his ear with his pinky. His eyes were closed and his eyebrows were furrowed and Byakuya pouted without changing his stance.

"I wonder how your _eyelids_ saw my swinging." Byakuya said, "You've been lying around since you got here, Shiba Kaien."

Shiba Kaien opened his eyes, eyebrows still furrowed and looking a bit nastily at Byakuya.

"...Senpai." Byakuya added lowly, looking away and adding a bit of a grunt.

"You were swinging so violently that my ears would be enough." Kaien replied and stretched. Byakuya snorted and resumed his swings. Stupid person from Shiba clan. Why was he supposed to supervise his training today? Byakuya saw his person as too happy-go-lucky and very cumbersome to become a noble let alone his "senpai". He despised it whenever that older Shiba person would look at him like that. Not that it was scary to make him obey but it was really annoying.

Much like that horrible, stupid, traitorous demon cat woman witch slob...

"Look, I know you're pissed off but perhaps you shouldn't think much about what happened to Shihouin—"

"I AM _NOT_!!" Byakuya hollered, pointing a finger angrily at Kaien, "Stop assuming that you know what I'm thinking!"

"Your angry face shows a lot, you know." Kaien shrugged and sat up as if Byakuya was not angry, "Maybe you should learn how to hide those feelings a bit now?"

"Shut up!"

And Byakuya threw his bamboo sword at Kaien. The older Shinigami frowned, caught the sword and in one shunpo, he was gone. Byakuya was about to disappear to flee when all of a sudden there was a large hand gripping his wrist and in front of him was the face of Shiba Kaien.

"There is one thing you should learn aside from not swinging your sword aimlessly and violently." Kaien said lowly, "You must not and _never_ treat your sword with reckless abandon."

There was some heavy pressure looming over his face. At least that was how the young Kuchiki felt. He swallowed and inched a bit back just in case Kaien thought of doing something stupid or violent to him.

"Besides..." Kaien said lightly and put the bamboo sword in Byakuya's hand, "You're holding a _sword_, not a javelin or a spear so throwing it like that was very unsightly especially for the 28th head-to-be of the Kuchiki clan so put a little elegance in it, yes?"

Byakuya remained pouting.

_You're one to talk, you non-elegant, ear-scratching, pompous Shiba clan person!_

The young Kuchiki looked at the sword on his hand and wiped the beads of sweat on his forehead. It was then that a servant came with a tray with green tea and Sakura mochi.

"Food!" Kaien laughed and called for Byakuya, "Hey, Byakuya-kun, why don't we have something to eat first? I'm sure you're tired."

"I'm not."

And the boy resumed swinging until his stomach churned rather loudly.

Kaien turned around to stop himself from chuckling but made sounds to give him away nonetheless. Byakuya frowned, pouting awkwardly as a very red hue covered his face.

"Fine! I'm eating!"

Kaien broke into boisterous laughter as Byakuya snatched one of the mochi and took a giant bite off it.

"See!? Even nobility and heirs have stomachs that get hungry!"

"Shoudduph!" Byakuya replied with his mouth full and cheeks puffed. Kaien broke into more laughter and Byakuya turned redder. Perhaps he should stuff a mochi into that very large ugly laughing mouth of his and see how he'd like that. When he gets to be clan leader he was going to use his influence to have Kaien tied to a pole and tickled to death.

"GINREI-SAMA! GINREI-SAMA!"

The approaching shouting servant made Byakuya swallow the mochi before he could chew on it properly. He immediately grabbed the ceramic glass and started drinking the tea hurriedly and unceremoniously.

"GINREI-SAMA!"

The servant in a dark blue kimono came to a stop and bowed to a choking Byakuya and his sempai. Kaien raised an eyebrow.

"Kuchiki-taichou is not here." Kaien said, "What seems to be the matter?"

"One of the Kuchiki properties is on fire."

"What!?" Byakuya exclaimed, "Which one!?"

"The small feeding center in the Inuzuri district of Rukongai!"

"I'm going to give the word to Ginr—"

"I'm going." Byakuya got up.

"What?" Kaien raised an eyebrow again.

"You go tell grandfather." Byakuya told Kaien seriously as he got up, "I'm going to see matters in Rukongai."  
"But—!"

"If I can not handle something like this then I don't think I'm fit to be leader of the clan."

**- Fourth Drop Dries -**

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**AN:** Finally, Byakuya makes an appearance! And Kaien, too! It's my first time using Kaien in a fic so please be gentle if you think I didn't do much justice! I had to do some researching for some stuff so I was late. Sorry!

Will Hisana and Byakuya finally meet and be together? Maaaaaaaaybe. Haha. I talk too much. I would've typed something longer if I wasn't hungry. Anyway, I hope you likes!

R&R! Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!


	5. Sunset And Sunrise

**Nobility Kills  
**_By Uchiha Xairylle_

**Fifth Drop : Sunset And Sunrise**

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Hisana ran without looking back. She was afraid of what was behind her; of what could be behind her; of what else could be freezing or burning — anything. She wanted to be alone and yet she didn't.

She burned that wall and probably what was behind it. A few minutes about that, she burned many other things consecutively. It happened all so fast that she did not even know how she got away from that place! Worse, she didn't know how she did it. Normal souls were not supposed to do that! At least not on their own! Something was wrong with her! And something was wrong with Rukia! She was able to make snow! That wasn't normal at all!

It wasn't making any sense!

Maybe they were sick. Yes, that could be it. She should see that doctor. She should find him. And talk to him. And have him cure her and her sister.

Wait. What if she burned down his clinic, too, before she was cured? Then she could no longer be cured! And Rukia, too!

Rukia...

Hisana's arms and hands were feeling warm. She was afraid to make fire without knowing why or how again. It would not be nice if she was holding Rukia. She might burn her sister to death and she sincerely did not want that!

Hisana made a sharp turn into the alley where the crack leading to the doctor's dungeon was. She came to a halt, huffing heavily as she did. Rukia was starting to cry now and Hisana could not blame her since she was crying too. Horror struck the older sister when she saw that the cloth that she wrapped Rukia with was starting to burn!

"Oh no!" Hisana was in panic but she could not release her sister to be caught by the ground. But she was too alarmed to find a proper place to set her on. In the middle of Hisana's quiet hysterics, the flames slowly died down while being eaten by white powdery snow.

The girl shuddered in fear and confusion as she walked towards the crack.

She looked at Rukia.

The doctor only said that "her sister" might be sick but not "her". Perhaps the doctor did not see her disease? Or perhaps there was no more cure for her sickness and the doctor did not want to tell her?

He told her to leave Rukia and throw a rock and he will come out to get her.

Just Rukia.

Perhaps he could not cure her, the older sister. Perhaps it would be better if she should stay away from her sister for now and leave her to that kind doctor so that she could be cured. It would be the better choice before she manages to burn Rukia to death or before Rukia gets the ability to burn things, too.

Hisana kissed her crying sister's forehead as tears streamed from her eyes and down her face.

The beggar girl caught a glimpse of a wooden charm on her obi.

That's right. Maybe those people in Sereitei could help her. She heard they were very advanced and that people could cure others without using any instruments. And even if she caused something to burn, the Shinigami could handle things. She could get cured.

Hisana bit her lip and sat down. She hugged her sister. She had to remember her smell, her cries, her giggles — even this feeling of a baby's body so close to her. It would be a long time before she would see Rukia again.

"Rukia, forgive me..." Hisana sobbed, "But oneesan has to leave you here for your own good. I will look for you... When I'm better... When I'm cured..."

"Grow up to be a strong, wonderful lady. Take all of my love with you so that you'll be protected. I love you, Rukia. You are all that I have. I am sorry..."

Hisana took a rock nearby and looked at the crack.

"I will never stop loving you, Rukia." She whispered and threw the rock in the crack. After hearing the sounds it made, Hisana placed Rukia on the hard pavement. The baby started crying louder. Hisana ran away from her and out of the alley.

She was not going to look back. She was not going to let those cries change her mind.

_I'm sorry, Rukia! I'm sorry I'm a coward like the sun!_

She should find a way to get into Sereitei. She should find a way to show the charm to the people in Sereitei. Kuchiki. Fourth Division. Sereitei. Everything. She had to remember. She had to be cured.

She had to be cured as soon as possible.

For Rukia.

That is what she should keep in mind.

For Rukia. Everything. For Rukia. For Rukia. For Rukia. For—

"AGH!" Hisana hit something.

"OW!" Said that 'something'.

Hisana fell back rather hard and she hit the pavement. She was not very hurt but she did not get up. Not that she couldn't but she just didn't. The stillness made her a bit calmer for only but a few moments. She remained lying on the ground and it was then that her emotions started flowing harder as soon as she stopped moving. Everything was still. The events were sinking in better now and the pain was digging fiercely into her heart, her brain and even her skin.

The pain. The confusion. The longing.

Rukia.

"Ow..." a black-haired boy rubbed his head, "Look at where you're go— Eh?"

There was a girl in a yukata lying in front of him. Had he collided with _her_? She was not moving. Was she dead? Hell, no. A collision with him couldn't even kill off a _cat_! Maybe she just lost consciousness. Byakuya hoped she was not bleeding.

"H-hey..." Byakuya crawled towards the unconscious girl, "Hey, you... Are you okay?"

He picked her up slowly to see if she was injured. All of a sudden she started shuddering so hard that it made Byakuya gasp.

"H-hey, are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?"

She turned her face slowly towards him. There were tears from her eyes and her hair was a total mess. She was very red — especially her nose.

"A-are you—"

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Well, what did his noble luck give the little Byakuya! The crying girl started to _wail_! Loudly!

"H-h-hey!!!" Byakuya said, looking left and right in panic to see if anyone spotted him. And then she grabbed on to the front of his kimono.

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!! MY SISTEEEEEEEEEEEEERRRR!!"

Oh, so did his _long hair_ made him look like a _girl_!?

"I'm not your sister!! Stop crying in my bosom, you!!" he said, trying to pry her fingers off his clothing but she just held on tighter. He could now hear people murmuring and starting to approach them.

Not good. This was Rukongai. If anyone recognized him as the 28th heir of the Kuchiki clan running around _without_ anyone, it would be very troublesome. Crap, bumping into this girl was already a handful especially now that she had mistaken him for a member of her family. Perhaps he should chop off her arms. No, he did not have a sword. Wait. What? NO! He can't just chop off anyone's limbs for no reason! Bad! Wrong! Erase! Erase!

"Troublesome!" Byakuya grunted and picked her up before running away, the girl's cries trailing with their pace.

This was all Kaien's fault!

If he just allowed him to go and see that burning feeding center then it he didn't have to escape! Who did he think he was, anyway!? That was _Kuchiki property_ and since Byakuya was the heir, he should've had authority over it, right? But, nooooo... That hideous senpai of his just _had_ to take matters in his hands just because he was a few hundred years older!

Not fair!

If Kaien had just let him have his way and oversee the incident, this wouldn't have happened! Now he was carrying a wailing beggar girl who refused to let go of him after hallucinating him for her _sister_! It was such an embarrassing situation! He could've just kicked the girl off but somehow he couldn't. For some reason, he couldn't. Now he was way off his planned schedule. So much for getting there before Kaien did!

"UWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!"

Stupid girl!

"At least stop crying or do you want me to kill you!"

"K-K-K-K-K—!"

Was this girl mute or something?

What did it matter now that she had fainted in his arms?

"Oh, come _on_, don't _die_ on me!" Byakuya slowed down. The girl wasn't responding so he decided to make a full stop.

"Hey, don't _die_! At least not before I seriously want to kill you!" he blasted so loudly that heads turned towards them. Byakuya gasped with wide eyes, looking around in alarm and realizing he had just spouted a very, _very_ wrong sentence. He cursed shortly and grunted before shunpo-ing away to escape whatever horrific events were to follow.

Stupid girl! Stupid, stupid girl!

Byakuya's mind ranted with every second that passed. It was so annoying having to run into this mess! She could've just said "Ow, that hurt!" and ended with that so that both of them could mind their own matters but the world had to turn on him! Seriously, he should just _abandon_ this girl and let her rot in her stupidity but his upbringing seemed to forbid him of doing that. He was so annoyed his breathing was getting a bit heavier and his chest was getting so warm!

This was unusual.

Byakuya looked down. To his surprise, he was not _warm_. His kimono was _burning_!

"WHAT THE HELL!!!" Byakuya exclaimed in another flash step. The corner of his eye caught a glimpse of a nearby river. River? Water! Water was used to douse fire! Perfect! The 28th heir of the Kuchiki clan was not going to die in a weird case of pyromania!

The fire was _very hot_. Scorching in fact. He felt like he had the sun in his chest. In one shunpo, he saw the river and in one effort, he plunged into the river making a very big and loud splash. The fishes would've been disturbed enough to sue him. Screw them, then. His clothes were burning and this coldness was soothing...!!

It was then that he remembered he had a girl with him and when he looked, she was still unconscious!

Glory be! She was going to drown!

Byakuya opened his mouth to yell but found that very unhelpful since water entered his mouth. Because he plunged in from a very high position, he sank a bit deep and he had to swim effortlessly with a girl and less oxygen in his lungs towards the surface.

"POAH!!" Byakuya emerged from under the water as fresh air gushed into his lungs. He shook his head to get rid of his long hair from straying all over his face. His nose kind of hurt probably due to the water but that was tolerable. He looked at the girl he was carrying. He could not see her face thanks to her hair that was all over it. Dismissing the thought of asking if she was okay, Byakuya decided to swim towards the river bank and deal with matters when he got there.

He was going to kill Kaien when he got back. This was all _his_ fault!

"You better not be dead before I kill you." Byakuya muttered to Hisana as he crawled onto the river bank. He set the girl to lie on the grass as he sat down to catch his breath. In a short while, there were a lot of things that happened that seemed to have made him at least fifty percent mentally and physically exhausted. His next option was supposed to be get up and go to the fire incident but Kaien must've been there by now and if he showed up in front of his sempai while looking like a wet rag then that just might be the most embarrassing moment of his life! And he frowned as he stared at the unconscious girl beside him. Water must've entered her lungs. She didn't look like she was breathing.

Byakuya scratched his head heavily.

Kami-sama better reward him for this!

Byakuya shifted her so that she lay on her back. He was right. She wasn't breathing. He scratched his head again.

"Hey..." he shook her, "Hey...! Wake up!"

No response.

"Air won't come to you if you don't start breathing, you know! Wake up!"

Still nothing. This was bad. Maybe he should help her breathe? How? Wait, what did he learn from first aid—

"Shit, no." Byakuya slapped his forehead, "Not _that_."

He knew what to do. He knew _how_ to do it. He just didn't think he _could_ do it. Who did this girl think she was to be worthy of _his_ breathing space anyway!? He looked at her. She wasn't moving. She wasn't breathing. He'd die if he didn't hurry.

_If I can not handle something like this then I don't think I'm fit to be leader of the clan__._

Thank you, conscience.

This girl better thank him for this!

Byakuya pinched her nose and took a deep breath while half of his mind was still in denial that this was going to happen and that it was actually happening. He should just get it over with so that he could get to the denial and forgetting stage much faster. In one quick movement, he bent and sealed his lips around her mouth so that he could breathe air into her. It felt so _awkward _especially that his mind was sending him mental images of how they looked like. He could feel blood rushing to his cheeks. He must make her swear not to tell this to anyone! And he was just glad no one was there to see!

"Uhgh..." she groaned. Byakuya pulled away and backed as he watched her cough out water. She rolled to her side and continued coughing, rubbing her chest as she did. Byakuya, on the other hand, was busy telling his mind that everything did _not_ happen as he wiped his lips with his arm. The girl slowly stopped coughing and she sat up, breathing heavily.

"Where am I?" she whispered, looking around her. Byakuya was still wiping his lips briskly when she caught a glimpse of him.

"AAAAAAH!" she screamed.

"AAAAAAH!" Byakuya yelled back in surprise and stopped, "STOP THAT!"

Hisana scurried back clumsily

"W-w-w-w-w-w-who are you?"

"H-hey, don't—!"

Hisana continued to scamper further back towards the river. Byakuya could see the epic failure in progress.

"W-w-w-who are you?"

"D-don't go that way!"

"S-s-s-s-s-stay away from me!"

"W-wait!"

SPLASH!

Hisana fell back into the water with a scream. Byakuya slapped his forehead as she scurried back towards land.

"W-w-w-w-why didn't you tell me I was going towards the river?"

Byakuya rolled his eyes away.

She sneezed. He sneezed.

And then the wind blew.

**- Fifth Drop Dries -**

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**AN:** Yay! They finally meet! I had fun writing this! I hope you likes! Off to lunch now! Fingers trembling!

R&R! Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!


	6. The Prince And The Pauper

**Nobility Kills  
**_By Uchiha Xairylle_

**Sixth Drop : The Prince And The Pauper**

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Byakuya felt as though he could not hear from his right ear after the beggar girl he picked up released a high-pitched, ear-splitting screech after he suggested that she take off her clothes because she was wet. He was not sure but it seemed that she yelled "pervert" at him in a very mind-shaking, nerve-jamming way.

"I didn't mean get _naked_!" Byakuya said but barely heard himself do so, "Geez, you can remain dripping wet if you want to!"

Hisana did not respond and watched as Byakuya got up before casually starting to undo the top part of his kimono. Hisana's face flushed red and she covered her eyes, turning around and screaming again. Very high-pitched. Byakuya nearly lost his balance.

"WHAT!" Byakuya complained, "I'm just going to remove this top part, okay!?"  
"Indecent!!" Hisana shook her head vigorously, "You're a very indecent boy! Have you no manners!?"

The young noble was ready to strangle her to death. She was very demanding and picky for an idiot. And she was too conservative for anyone's own good and screamed like an alarm going off.

What a horrible girl...

He looked around for anywhere to change or at least remove _some_ of his clothing before he caught a cold. Unfortunately for him, there wasn't even a cave nearby. He couldn't go home drenched because Kaien would make too much fun of him but he couldn't stay in his wet clothes or he was going to catch a cold.

Wonderful.

"I know it kind of sounds a bit too much for me to ask you but..." Byakuya began as he looked away, "... May come with you to your house just so I could wait for my clothes to dry?"

Hisana's back straightened and there was an uncomfortable pause. Byakuya's left eye was twitching in impatience. Hisana looked dumbly at him and asked, "House?"

In his mind, Byakuya was pulling on his hair already. Didn't this idiot know what a house was!? Or was there another term for a house!? Perhaps he should draw it? Ridiculous little girl not knowing something as simple as a—

"I don't have a house." She said as if it were the most normal thing in the world.  
"That's fine just—YOU DON'T HAVE A HOUSE?!" Byakuya blasted in disbelief. Hisana nodded.

No way.

"You don't have a house!?" Byakuya repeated with a raised eyebrow, "What the hell are your parents doing!?"  
"I don't have parents." Hisana said again.  
"WHAT!?" Byakuya blasted again and immediately rushed to her side, looking at her closely before asking, "Are you joking?"

"No but I could try..." she replied innocently again and Byakuya backed in disbelief. No wonder she was such an idiot. She had no house and she had no parents. No wonder she mistook him for her sister... Wait. Sister?

"Well, what about your sister?" he asked as he got up, "You _do_ have a sister, right? You were wailing about it earlier."  
"Oh, I—!" Hisana was about to talk about her pretty little baby sister but then she paused, remembering her situation and said with a faint smile, "Y-y-y-you mean I _wish_ I had a sister... Or brother... Or anyone... Hahaha... I'm alone, you know."

Oh... What an unfortunate little girl. No house. No parents. No sister. Byakuya looked at her thoughtfully standing beside her as she sat quietly.

"S-so where do you plan on changing your clothes?" the noble boy asked again, slowly being drowned in his imaginations of her life of misery and woe.  
"I don't change my clothes."  
"YOU DON'T!?"  
"D-d-d-d-do I have to?"

_Why, of course, hell, you HAVE to!_

"How the hell do you take a bath!?" He asked in more disbelief.  
"W-w-w-w-well..." She searched her thoughts with a finger on her chin. She was partially wondering why this person had so many questions, "I don't have other clothes so I don't have to change."  
"Just how often do you take a bath anyway?" the boy queried again.  
"When it rains."

When it _rains_?

She answered rather surely.

"O-only when it rains?" there was a tinge of horror and pity in his voice as he backed one step from her.

"Umm... Well, when things like this happen, too." She pointed to her self then at the river, "I don't like taking a bath. I get a cold afterwards and when that happens I have a harder time taking care of R—"

She paused and looked at the river.

"... Taking care of... things." She shrugged and closed her eyes tightly before any tears threatened to fall.

Byakuya looked at her quietly. What an unfortunate girl! No wonder she acted such. No family. No house. No clothes. No bath time! He had no idea she had survived this long without dying of self-pity. Where did she go if it rained? When it snowed? Her clothes did look old and had patches and tears and soils. Poor little girl. She was so unfortunate to have ended up in the district of Inuzuri and not to have a family to adopt her. Here she was with her miserable life and here he comes, demanding that he be allowed to dry his clothes and self somewhere.

_If I can not handle something like this then I don't think I'm fit to be leader of the clan._

Exactly.

And he sat beside her.

"How did we end up in the water anyway?" she asked as she sniffed.

"My kimono caught fire while I was running after I picked you up." He said casually and she gasped as she turned to her with eyes in baffled alarm. Did she cause that? Did she hurt him? He didn't seem to be hurt but did she cause any damage? How much damage? Noticing that the girl looked worried and a bit restless about what he said, Byakuya added, "Its okay. It happens."

"I-it... It does?" she asked.

"For —AH-CHOO! — special people, it does." He began and rubbed his nose, "Some people have more spiritual energy than others and when they can't control it, things like that happen. I'm still in-training so I guess I triggered something like that."

Hisana had never heard something like that. Spiritual energy? So it triggered the flames from her? Perhaps she had spiritual energy. Perhaps she wasn't all that sick after all! He did say he was in-training to control it, right?

"Where do you train?" she asked him.  
"At home." He replied casually.  
"Where do you live?"

"In S—" he was supposed to reply "Sereitei" but then paused, realizing he shouldn't reveal too much about his self. If people realized that the 28th heir of the Kuchiki came over to Rukongai alone then it might cause trouble.

"...I live in a moving house."

_Ridiculous answer._

Byakuya wanted to slap his forehead.

"Oh, like the travelling doctor...!" she smiled, "What kind of training do you do?"  
"Many things, some of which I understand but others I have no idea why I have to do them..." Byakuya sighed and wringed water off from his hair.  
"Like what?" she asked and did the same to her hair.  
"Like poetry and dancing and singing..." he replied, getting comfortable with the conversation, "I mean, I don't see how it's going to make me a better man but I have to do it because it's part of training, you know? And I need training. To be stronger. To be strongest."  
"Why do you need to be the strongest?"  
"Because..." he said contemplatively, "...I have... people... to lead and protect."

Hisana's eyes shimmered. He was like her. He was a noisy, pervert with no manners like she was a clumsy coward. She had to be strong for her self and for Rukia — so she could search for Rukia. And him... He had people to protect. Perhaps he was not so bad as she thought he was. Looking at him now, he was kind of handsome for his age. His skin looked smooth, too. Maybe he was a good person.

"My name is Suigintou Hisana." She said dreamily at him, "What's yours?"  
"Ku—" he paused, "Kudo Suejiro."

_Kudo Suejiro_.

Suejiro, er, Byakuya was now wondering why she had sparkly eyes.

"Are you okay, Suigintou?"  
"Ah, wait, no! Call me Hisana!"  
"O-okay... Hisana..." Byakuya shrugged, "Call me Suejiro, then."  
"Hai, Suejiro-kun!"

Good grief, that was weird. Being called by another name.

Must change subject to something that would benefit him.

"Hey, Hisana..." he began, "You live in Inuzuri, right?"  
"Yes..."  
"So... Do you know about that feeding station that was burned down?"

Hisana turned pale. Did he know about her uncontrolled ability to create flames? Was he suspecting her?

"I don't know..." Hisana replied with a wan smile, "I don't come there often."  
"You don't? Why?" Byakuya asked, "Don't you like the taste of the food that the Kuchiki clan offer?"  
"Oh, no." Hisana shook her head again, "Even when I sometimes get hungry, I find other ways to eat than going to ask anything from the feeding station."

Byakuya's eyes widened in disbelief, surprise and curiosity.

"Why?"  
"What do you mean 'why'?" she giggled, "Weaklings like me won't go to feeding stations just to get hurt!"  
"Get hurt?" Byakuya was now flabbergasted.

"You look so unaware." Hisana noticed with a tilt of her head, "Oh, I know! It's because you're travelling, right? Okay, I'll tell you about it so you know when you come across it."

The young noble nodded absently, somehow lost in his theories.

"You see, feeding stations require people to fall in line before they could get any food." Hisana began while waving a finger, "The first one in line gets food first so what happens is that the adults overpower the children and gets to be in line in front of them then among the children, there are bullies who do the same. By the time it's our turn, there would be very little or nothing left."

"And even if we manage to get anything, the bullies will just probably take it from us so in the end, the weaklings have no place in feeding stations so why bother wasting strength and get nothing?"

"Why don't you fight back?" Byakuya asked mindlessly.  
"What do you mean?" Hisana shrugged, "There is no way the weak can fight the strong who exist to contrast the weak."

Byakuya sat speechless. She spoke of it as if it were no problem but for the boy, it was a very big predicament. All this time, he thought his clan made things perfectly. He thought his clan was a very, very big help and that they could fix things and had very little flaws... And that the people loved them. And that there was enough for everyone.

"You are very luck to have to travel and not get stuck in a dump like this." Hisana commented.

"You're wrong." Byakuya said seriously as he looked away.

"What?"

"Maybe it's true that the weak can not fight the strong..." He replied, "But the strong don't contrast the weak."

Hisana blinked.

"The strong exist..." Byakuya said lowly, "...To protect the weak."

The wind blew again. Byakuya sneezed and rubbed his nose. He was saying something but Hisana was too dumbfounded by his words to say anything.

"I have to go now." Byakuya got up. He could not wait until he was dry. He had to tell this to his grandfather so that something could be done about it. He did not want the Kuchiki to be known as the clan who had no system for the poor and the weak.

"O-oh... I see..." Hisana slowly got up, "It was nice meeting you, then, Suejiro."

"It was nice meeting you, too..." Byakuya bowed and she bowed back. There was a short pause before Byakuya turned around and started off. Hisana looked at his back as he walked away.

The strong exist to protect the weak.

Perhaps.

She will remember that phrase. She will remember his name. Her very first friend.

Kudo Suejiro.

**- Sixth Drop Dries -**

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**AN:** Yay! Update! I had fun writing this one, too! Now I can have lunch! Thank you to those who PM'ed me about this and thanks to those who review this story, too. And thank you for reading my story. And thank you for reading the author's notes. I love you!

R&R! Cheerios, cookies and a whole lot of Bankai love!


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